The Cardinal Countdown: 84 Days Until Kickoff

#84 Josh Johnson

Class: Sophomore

Ht/Wt: 5-11/177

Position: Wide Receiver

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Twitter: @josh_johnson234

Thoughts: Josh was a good pick up for the Cards last year, a consensus three star recruit out of ‘Hotlanta’ who was considered a Top 100 wideout in the country by all services. The buzz on NSD last year at the position was focused on the taller/larger Justin Marshall, but Johnson wasn’t far behind. A player of his size in years past always seems to be a threat in the Petrino offense, coming out of the slot, catching some quick crossing routes, running end arounds, jet sweeps, etc. A quick glance at the depth chart last year showed that in seasons to come that void would need to be filled and Johnson was a quality replacement for the young men we were used to seeing excel in that role. Fast forward a year and...yeah, we need you like RIGHT now buddy.

As a quick side note, if you read the countdown in years past you know I was a HUGE Traveon Samuel fan and felt as if he should have been getting the ball with more frequency than he was the last two seasons, thus his transfer to Troy was disappointing but not surprising to me. I bring that up because as we sit here today, on June 9th (nice), with Samuel gone and Reggie graduating the importance of Josh making that Sophomore leap is crucial. Josh appeared in 10 games last season at both wideout and on special teams as a return man. He had a few catches for over 50 yards in 2017 but he will certainly be looked to more in 2018 as a contributor than a role player. I know the narrative is already played out 84 days before kickoff but I honestly believe that Puma will put us in a new world of Bobby ball, bringing back more of the retro Petrino offense while still mixing in some RPO and plays that allow Puma space to operate similar to Lamar. If that is true, Johnson and the rising freshman Tutu Atwell, become a BIG part of how the offense functions this season and the next couple years to come.

Sweet Tweet: JJ doesn’t tweet very much so let’s check out this video the main account tweeted out last August doing a quick Q&A with Johnson…